The Hateful Eight

But when John Ruth the Hangman catches you... You hang!

The 8th movie from Quentin Tarantino is another masterpiece. From start to finish, I was gripped by the visuals and characters on screen. Once again, Tarantino shows why he is, in my humble opinion, one of the modern day greats.

We start on a snow swept road and finish in a haberdashery during a blizzard, but what happens in between is well orchestrated and ultra entertaining. Both Jennifer Jason Leigh as Daisy Domergue and Walton Goggins as Chris Mannix are standout performances. I loved Kurt Russell's character, John Ruth, and also enjoyed Samuel L. Jackson's monologues as Major Marquis Warren.

This film is the sort I could watch over and over. I hope Tarantino gives us an extended version as I felt it was cut. The cinematography is breathtaking, and if you are able, I would suggest watching in Ultra Panavision 70.

The score from Ennio Morricone is powerful and very fitting -- at times almost a character in itself. Some will say this film has too much talking and not enough action. I’d definitely have to disagree. Although there is a lot of conversation, I felt it was all fitting and very entertaining.

Watch this film and let me know your thoughts in the comments.

I give this weather-ridden western 8 out of 10.

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Star Wars : The Force Awakens

 

''There's been an awakening. Have you felt it? The Dark side, and the Light''

A long time ago, we found out that Disney would be taking us back to a galaxy far far away. This was a worry for me as a huge Star Wars fan. After all, we have been disappointed before, so I sat down to watch this with trepidation.

I have to say what I found for the next couple of hours was a poor story mixed with some action sequences. 

I think J.J. Abrams has done a stellar job of staying true the originals but he has been let down by the script, that feeling you should get from watching a Star Wars movie at times is absent. 

Daisy Ridley who plays Rey is amazing throughout, and I can see a great career ahead of this young star. She brings a certain mime quality to her acting, reminiscent of a much older thespian. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher really help to link this movie to its previous chapters. I think this was important and definitively assisted in the end product. Chewbacca was great, massively assisted by modern technology, which brings me nicely to the 'negative side of the force'. John Boyega as Finn was out of his depth and this did, in my opinion, show on screen at times. Also Kylo Ren as the ''Vader'' of this picture was a little soft, though by the end I felt this was intentional. Finishing on more of a positive note, Oscar Isaac (as Poe Dameron) was once again on top form.

The Force Awakens gets a 6 out of 10. May the force be with you.
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Krampus

Krampus is coming to town

Krampus is a fantasy horror, with a good sprinkle of humour. It is based around the Austro-Bavarian, German-speaking Alpine folklore (say that three times fast).

The film is set around a family getting together over Christmas. But when one of the kids, Max - played by Emjay Anthony - loses his Christmas spirit, he accidentally unleashes a dark and ancient demon who will stop at nothing to take the whole family to his underworld. Also starring Adam Scott as Tom and David Koechner as Howard, both are the fathers of the two households, and both bring a healthy dollop of humor/terror. Toni Collette and Allison Tolman are also good, playing sister and mother who get stuck in when the going gets tough.  

Finally, I thought Conchata Ferrell as Aunt Dorothy was great and at times stole the show; and equally Krista Stadler as Omi really brought a real sense of foreboding right from her opening scene.  

I really enjoyed this film and felt the mix of humour and horror worked. It has definitely added to the pre-Christmas watchlist alongside Die Hard and Elf.

I give Krampus a Noel 6 out of 10.

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